I know I haven’t posted on here in a really long time. I seem to enjoy changing the look of this site more than I do actually posting on it. I’d like to say that I will work on posting more often, and I might. But I also know myself, and so I’m not going to make any guarantees about that. I even created another site earlier this year, that I was going to devote to just my Star Wars obsession, and I kind of failed at making that take off too. I’m probably going to just take it down and go back to just this site, since this one is THE girlvsplanet site, and that’s who I am. So maybe you’ll start seeing some Star Wars stuff up here, who knows. But I digress.

It’s pretty common when the year comes to a close to look back on it and even write some kind of summary of it or post one on social media. I’ve been thinking about this year as well as the upcoming year, so I figured I would give that a shot. So here goes.

2018 was our second full year living in Florida. I know living here is likely only temporary, and that’s ok. I’ve achieved my goal of wanting to see what it was like to live outside of Indiana, and now I’ve achieved my goal of wanting to live in a beach town. At this point I’ve seen the pros and cons and now I think I could find a way to enjoy my life living almost anywhere. Florida is “home” for now, but I think in my head I’m honestly at home just about anywhere, and familiarity comes more in the form of people than the place I live at the time.

So much happened this year! I traveled a lot, sometimes with Ricky, sometimes alone. Although even in the times I traveled alone, I never really ended up alone. Even in that crazy solo trip all the way to Seattle for a weekend, I made a couple of friends I’m guessing I might see again sometime, along with another friend who was a result of that trip that I’m now traveling overseas with in a few months! Crazy.

Let’s see… in April, I spent a couple of weekends in Pennsylvania, DC, and New York with a bunch of awesome people that I talk to online a lot, but don’t get to see in person too often. Who knew the result of a convention two years ago would be some pretty epic trips over the next couple of years with wonderful friends? In June was that Seattle trip I already talked about, also contributing to a couple of new friendships that have become almost daily lifelines. I spent most of the summer on my own in Florida being boring, with the exception of another quick trip to Pennsylvania. And then… August. A visit to a couple of new countries I’d never been to before, and a return to my favorite city ever after having not been there for 6 years. I’m even more in love with London now and can’t wait to return for a full week in March. Especially with the memories I have of it now. August 25 in London was of course, the best day of my year by far, including seeing my favorite DJ and ending with getting engaged to my best friend on Tower Bridge.

October was a very busy but epic month. It started with a golf event that turned into an opportunity to spend some time with more good friends I don’t get to see too often and strengthen some quality friendships along the way. Then a trip to Chicago and Indy that included hugging superheroes and fangirling with some really awesome ladies as well as getting to spend my birthday in my home state with friends that have been around for a really long time… the kind of friends you know will always be there. Then it ended in Orlando with more fan friends and the opportunity to show some of them around Disney, which I always love doing. August may have held the best DAY of the year, but if I had to pick the best MONTH, October would sure be up there on top as well!

One thing I have to say about this year… I’ve become increasingly thankful for the ways of communication we have now that we haven’t always had. I know social media can become a time suck, and that people text more than talk on the phone like they used to, but to me these methods have become invaluable in maintaining friendships. And keeping me sane! I love that I can carry around a smartphone in my pocket that lets me keep in touch with people I care about and that care about me. There’s a handful of people that I text on a daily or almost daily basis, and as someone who may end up moving every few years or so, those friends that keep in touch with me like that really are my lifeline.

So now that the year is winding down, and I’m looking forward to 2019, I’m thinking that 2018 may have been the best year of my life so far. And seeing how people always look back on their past and “how things were”, I think it’s a pretty awesome thing to be able to say you’ve lived the best year of your life THIS year. It also really makes me look forward to what’s next. I’ve already got some pretty epic things planned for 2019, and it’s a milestone year for me… I’m turning 40 in October. That scares me a little, but seeing how good this year was, I just can’t help but think that life just gets better. So I’ll just keep making plans and being me and hope that what they say is true–the best is yet to come. Happy New Year, and cheers to 2019!

[I was going to post some pictures as a part of this post, but there’s just SO many great pictures from this year. If you are friends with me on Facebook, I posted an album earlier this month that has them all, so feel free to go check them out there.]

What is girl vs planet?

Life is a series of experiences. Some of mine include walking along the Great Wall of China, drinking craft beer in Belgium, playing poker in Vegas, reading novels at home, or just relaxing with my fiancé and lovable wiener dog. This website is your invitation to join me as I take on the planet one experience at a time and blog about it for your enjoyment!